The field of the invention generally pertains to adjustable mounts. The invention relates more particularly to an adjustable, spa massager mounting assembly for use in hydrotherapy hot tubs or whirlpool baths.
Various types of spa massagers have been utilized in hydrotherapy hot tubs or whirlpool baths to therapeutically enhance the bathing experience. They do so by soothing and relaxing sore, stiff muscles, and by relieving tension and stress around the neck, shoulder, and back areas typically incurred during the work day or week. In this manner spa massagers help promote health and well-being while one enjoys the relaxing atmosphere afforded by a hydrotherapy hot tub or whirlpool bath.
However, a feature arguably as important as the spa massager itself is the spa massagers ability to adjust to various heights for reaching various target areas of the body where relief is desired. Where a spa massager is fixed in one preset position, however, these target areas cannot be reached. Additionally, a fixed position prevents different sized individuals from comfortably using the spa massager, and can greatly detract from the spa massaging and bathing experience.
While various adjustable mounts have been used to raise or lower spa massagers to reach a greater area of the neck, shoulders, and back, they typically involve complicated adjustment methods which are prohibitively difficult to adjust, or which require substantial effort on the part of the user.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,625, an adjustable headrest for a spa tub is shown with water jets positioned on the headrest to direct jets of water onto the neck, head or upper shoulders. The headrest also includes an adjustment device which includes first and second guide rails used to position the headrest at various heights. The first and second guide rails each have a C-shaped cross section with a vertical slot used to guide upper and lower projections of the headrest between a plurality of notches on the C-shaped cross section.
One problem with the adjustment device in the '625 patent, however, is that it requires the user to properly align the upper and lower projections on each side of the headrest to the corresponding notches on the first and second guide rails. Because the upper and lower projections connecting at the first guide rail can move independent of the upper and lower projections at the second guide rail, adjustment will always be subject to improper alignment. Thus even minor height adjustments can be severely inconvenient and frustrating.
Additionally, in an alternate embodiment of the first and second guide rails, the upper and lower projections must manually be snap-fitted into selected notches. Thus a threefold effort is required for any adjustment: first, pulling the upper and lower projections out from their originally positioned notches, second, locating the proper notches corresponding to a desired height, and third, snap-fitting the projections into the proper corresponding notches. This also requires substantial effort on the part of the user.
Furthermore, separation of the headrest from the first and second guide rails requires the upper projection to be raised through the vertical slot and slid out through a horizontal slot, with the lower projections following suit in similar fashion. This can be sufficiently complicated to an average user when attempting to use the headrest independent and apart from its location on the hot tub. Thus the adjustment device disclosed in the '625 patent can substantially interfere in the enjoyment of the spa massager and the relaxing environment originally intended with such spa massagers.